Chapter 345: The Two Who Vanished
"It seems to be that way..."
Following Irisviel's reminder, Hikigaya Hachiman realized that the Nine-Tailed Fox truly had no inherent need to make Komachi its target. After all, that creature should have been very clear about the consequences of touching Komachi. Yet despite this, the Nine-Tailed Fox still instigated Kazuhiro Mitogawa to move against her...
"In other words, did that guy have his sights set on Komachi from the very beginning?"
"To be precise, the target was you, Hikigaya-kun."
Irisviel saw much further ahead than Hachiman. Komachi was just an ordinary person; she only appeared in the Nine-Tailed Fox's vision because of Hikigaya Hachiman. Therefore, if the Nine-Tailed Fox was plotting something nefarious, its ultimate target was undoubtedly Hachiman.
"Why?"
Hachiman did not refute Irisviel's deduction, as that possibility certainly existed. But what was the motivation for the Nine-Tailed Fox to target him? His current strength was by no means weak, and moreover, after receiving help from several exorcists, he was very likely to break through to the Ghost God level. Hachiman didn't believe the Nine-Tailed Fox, with its intelligence, would provoke a powerful enemy for no reason.
"Hmm, perhaps because there is some reason why Hikigaya-kun must be eliminated?" Irisviel guessed boldly.
"Just like the Holy Grail War. Perhaps the Nine-Tailed Fox has no grudge against you, but since there can only be one final victor, it is destined to be a life-and-death struggle regardless of whether the participants had any prior intersection."
"I see..."
Hachiman nodded; Irisviel's thoughts gave him some inspiration. Combined with what Kazuhiro Mitogawa had said earlier about the Nine-Tailed Fox planning to attack a certain city, a rough outline of the Fox's goals began to form in his mind.
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Tokyo.
Tsuchimiya Kagura pressed her hand against the hospital's observation window, looking sorrowfully at the two people in the ward.
"Even Big Brother has no way to help... Yomi, what should I do?"
Because she usually sought help from Isayama Yomi whenever she encountered difficulties, Kagura instinctively called out Yomi's name. However, the moment the words left her mouth, Kagura suddenly remembered that Yomi was currently lying on a hospital bed, unable to offer a single piece of advice or help. This time, she was destined to resolve this hardship alone.
She lingered at the door of the ward for a while longer. After pouring out her distress to the unconscious Yomi through the glass, Kagura prepared to return home as usual. However, just as the doors of the elevator she was taking were about to close, she thought she saw a dark shadow flash past in the hallway.
"!"
In this sensitive situation, Kagura did not dare ignore even the slightest abnormality. She immediately rushed out of the elevator, her right hand pressing on her sword hilt, ready to strike at a moment's notice. Yet, looking around the entire corridor, the shadow she had seen earlier was nowhere to be found.
"Was it an illusion?"
Finding no sign of an enemy, Kagura's vigilance relaxed slightly. To be safe, she decided to check the ward of Isayama Yomi and Isayama Mei one more time. However, when she reached the vicinity of the ward, the wide-open door instantly triggered a bad feeling.
She rushed into the room. Two empty beds, still retaining a trace of warmth, instantly drained the strength from Kagura's body.
"They're gone?"
Kneeling powerlessly on the floor, Kagura stared blankly at the hospital beds for a long while before suddenly remembering that the Isayama family had specifically arranged bodyguards to protect the two.
"Are they all dead?"
The corpses of the guards, who were supposed to be stationed in the ward, were all found behind the door. Looking at the bodies that had been nearly hacked in two, a terrible suspicion surfaced in her mind.
"Could it be... that Yomi and Mei were the ones who killed these people?"
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"Hello?"
In the Hikigaya living room, Hachiman was still chatting with Irisviel when his phone suddenly rang. He answered it, and Kagura's helpless, frantic voice came through.
"Big Brother, Yomi is gone!"
"Gone?"
Hearing the news that Isayama Yomi and Isayama Mei had vanished from the hospital, Hachiman immediately frowned. He knew those two were already puppets of the Nine-Tailed Fox. Since they were being mobilized now, did that mean the Fox's plan was beginning?
"Don't worry too much; they won't be in danger for the time being."
While pondering what the Nine-Tailed Fox would use Yomi and Mei for, Hachiman soothed Kagura's emotions. The Fox had gone to great lengths to create those puppets; it wouldn't let them be destroyed easily. In fact, the ones who truly needed to worry were the psychics like Kagura. After all, aside from a few exceptions, Yomi and Mei were already the "power ceiling" of those families...
Wait, ceiling?
Hachiman paused at that thought. Indeed. In his knowledge, it seemed that besides Kagura and her father, Tsuchimiya Garaku, almost no exorcist could handle those two now that they were puppets. Which meant...
"Kagura, did you just send a message to notify anyone else about their disappearance?"
"No, because Yomi is gone, I haven't sent any messages yet."
"I see..."
Hachiman pinched the bridge of his nose. He seemed to have a premonition that a tragedy was about to occur. Although whether those psychics lived or died didn't have much to do with him, he wasn't particularly happy to see the Nine-Tailed Fox's plan proceed so smoothly.
"What's wrong?" Seeing Hachiman suddenly look troubled, Irisviel, sitting beside him, asked with concern.
"A bit of trouble has cropped up."
The matter of the Nine-Tailed Fox had nothing to do with Irisviel; moreover, her original intent in coming to this world was to live a stable life. Therefore, Hachiman did not intend to involve her in the incident.
"Really, is Hikigaya-kun treating me like a child?"
Hearing his words, Irisviel's face puffed up in anger. A homunculus's hearing is very sharp! While she appreciated his kindness in not wanting to involve her and Illya, he was their only reliance in this world. If he was in trouble, how could she pretend she knew nothing?
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